The recent protest action in Richards Bay admittedly posed a safety concern for citizens, but it once again saw the emergence of the nonsensical online fearmongering by sensation-seeking individuals
Images of hundreds of taxis making their way from Durban to Richards Bay started doing the rounds, followed by ‘statements’ from SAPS about the potential for imminent violence and mayhem – all of this completely unfounded.
Unfortunately, the lack of any substantive evidence or corroboration doesn’t stop people – often well-meaning individuals – from sharing this via community WhatsApp groups or posting them on digital platforms.
This results in unnecessary panic, and makes the role of the media and police that much more difficult as they now have to contend with misplaced community fear and anger, rather than focusing on more meaningful work.
Rumours and misinformation have been part of humanity since time began. The problem in the digital age is the speed with which this fearmongering is spread.
More than that though is the ability for manipulation.
Police ‘statements’, images and old recordings are re-worked to fit the internet troll’s agenda, and quickly drown out the real story.
Journalists, police and community leaders are often playing catch-up, trying to quell the fears and put the facts in place.
But how do you tell what’s real from what’s not?
Often just relying on basic logic will quickly put things into perspective.
Thousands of taxis are coming all the way from Durban? The cost for a taxi driver – petrol, tolls, lost wages – would render this completely pointless.
A statement from a Col Zungu in Gauteng? Only designated police spokesmen from regional stations would issue a statement.
Question everything you read.
The next step is the source. Who sent you this information and why?
If it’s from a friend or posted on a community forum, they should be able to verify if it came from a reliable source, rather than just something that was forwarded to them.
If you are very concerned, contact the local newspaper, councillor or police station for confirmation. It’s much simpler than you think.
For the bigger news stories and urban legends, there are even sites you can check, such as snopes.com or africacheck.org.
Journalists have to follow a Press Code, which means verifying everything they print or say. In the digital age, the laws are quickly catching up and you – as a private individual – can face some serious consequences, including criminal charges, if you post or even re-post things that are incriminating, defamatory or untrue.
In an age where actual, corroborated facts are being labelled ‘fake news’ by influential leaders in society, it is every citizen’s duty to ensure the information they share is, in fact, correct.
Take a moment to check before you ‘share’.
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